Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali's cult classic Umrao Jaan (1981) is all set to return to the big screen in restored 4k, this June, and it will be accompanied by a commemorative collector’s book.
The new commemorative book celebrating the timeless film, will offer a richly illustrated and deeply reflective journey into the making of one of Indian cinema’s most revered classics.
Edited by Meera Ali and Sathya Saran, the volume coincides with the film’s 4K restoration and re-release but stands on its own as a collector’s item.
Curated by Muzaffar Ali, the collector’s edition brings together rare photographs, handwritten notes, costume sketches, calligraphic scripts, and essays from some of India’s most respected voices in film, literature, history, and art.
Rekha, who portrayed the titular role in the film, is among the contributors. Other contributors include Shabana Azmi, Ira Mukhoty, journalist Kaveree Bamzai, Rana Safavi, Chef Suvir Saran, Alka Pande, and more.
Their essays create a cultural capsule as they explore the film’s historical roots in 1850s Lucknow, its literary origins, the evolution of the screenplay, the intricacies of costume and set design, and the music and lyrics that gave Umrao Jaan its soul.
Director Muzaffar Ali, in a statement, shared, "Umrao Jaan was not just a film- it was a prayer wrapped in a ghazal. Every image you see here is a part of that living world. This book is more than a tribute—it is a mosaic of memories, a reflection of the cultural spirit that birthed the film. During the process of digitising the film, I grabbed frames and created prints out of them."
The book spans 240 pages and features over 250 archival visuals, and it will offer readers an experience of the film’s creative process, and the cultural elegance—tehzeeb—that it so delicately preserved.
Designed as a limited collector’s edition, the volume is aimed at lovers of cinema, literature, poetry, and design. Pre-booking of the book is now open, and deliveries will begin after the film’s theatrical re-release.
